A Red Deer woman was recognized at an annual event that celebrates the lives, contributions and achievements of women and girls in Alberta.
Mercedes Messinger was one of six women to receive the 2022 Daughter of the Year award during a Daughters Day celebration at Edmonton City Hall this past Saturday.
“I never thought that I would deserve this recognition. I felt such great joy,” said Messinger.
In 2000, Messinger immigrated to Canada at the age of 40 from Germany with her husband Joe and three young children. They opened Messinger Meats in Mirror in 2004 and she has supported numerous charities ever since.
She was named a Woman of Excellence by the Red Deer and District Community Foundation in 2012 and received the Diversity Award in 2019.
In 2020, Messinger created the “Year of Charity” in Red Deer, where an amount of the proceeds of lunches go to a different charity each month.
“Even when I lived in Germany, (giving to charity) was really important to me. Helping others, giving back, paying it forward – it’s something that comes naturally to me. I enjoy it,” she said.
“I’m always looking for ways to help others. When we opened an artisan butcher shop in Red Deer, it gave me a bigger platform to do something for others.”
Even during COVID she continued to support her favourite charities any way possible and had ongoing weekend charity barbecues.
“No matter how good things may look on the outside, lots of people can be one paycheque away from getting lost,” she said.
“I can only say thank you to Red Deer because everyone who supports our family business is a part of this. It’s not just me alone with my family, it’s also every one of my customers that makes this possible.”
Daughters of the Year are chosen for their personal achievements and the impact they have had in making Alberta a leader in gender equity, according to the Daughters Day website.
The other Daughter of the Year award recipients were Laura Murphy, Jayanti Negi, Tonia LaRiviere, Chanelle Cluett-Alstad and Delmy Garcia-Hoyt.
Since 2012, more than 60 women have been honoured as Daughters of the Year.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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